Things I love

I love my girlz and love taking pictures of them, and being creative with those pictures. Here are some pictures I have taken lately of the girlz...


A quick pose of Lauren with the flower


So this really deserves a post of its own...What you see her holding, is a guitar she made...all by herself. She came up with the idea, made it and then we saw it. She told me when she would pull out a rubber band it would make sound, so she figured if she put them on a box, it would make even more sound...she was right! As a mom, I just think this is totally amazing that my little 5 year old's brain can come up with this. Her birthday is just around the corner, so we will be getting her a real pink guitar. I already found one online!! She loves music. She has been going around the house with this box playing it and making up songs...it is just so precious. She is shy when I get the video out, but I am going to try real hard to get a video of her playing the guitar and singing.


Another picture of Miss LuLu Belle, as we call her


Over the shoulder


Audrey's first pedicure...thanks to Aunt Kk, we got some cute new pink polish....but I am sad to say, they pink polish had a head on collision with a five year old's hand and the tile floor, so it is no longer with us, but luckily we have a picture of it!



Audrey just looks so darn cute!

Big smile


Blue eyed beauty


This is simply adorable...the close up


the full view


Faith at cheer camp


Learning the motions


stiking the pose


sweet little face


holdin' her head up high

Knee Sliding PJ's, toe tapping fun

One day, these hands will heal thousands, and pray for thousands to come to the kingdom




















My girlz had their best little buddy, Caitlyn over. They were in town for Campmeeting. These girls had so much fun. Before you see these pictures, you must know the tempature was up in the tripple diigits, and this is what they all wanted to wear to bed...oh those girlz are so funny! The girls rode over to my house together, oh the conversations of 2 five year olds, and 1 four year old...are just priceless!

Good news about a fast food place

Good news about a fast food place....we all have been talking about the shocking amount of cal, fat and lack of protein and fiber, we have been finding in our favorite restaurants. Well I finally have some good NEWS!! Yeah

As some of you know, I try to be healthy, and make smart educated choices when it comes to the things my family eats. I am not always perfect, but I try. With prices going up all around and in every area due to gas, my organic milk for 1 gallon has gone up to $6 and some change. So i decided to do some shopping and I was impressed to learn about my local ice cream shop.

Here is what Braum's says about their milk:

Braum's Fat Free Milk is unique - it has up to 50 percent more natural calcium, protein and other essential nutrients than any other milk on the market. That's because we send the milk through our special and exclusive vacuum processing system which actually removes 1/3 of the water from the milk thus concentrating the milk. That's why Braum's Fat Free Milk is better for you and is richer and creamier...tastes more like whole milk!

I paid $3.80 for a gallon of milk. Not only does the milk taste better, they are committed to having happy cows. They eat the finest grains, all the herd is own by the Braums family, they do not use hormones, and they are located in Oklahoma. I am all about buying local. I think it is much more beneficial to give my money to people who live and pay taxes in the state I live in. I know that my milk money is going back into the Oklahoma economy, and that helps my milk taste even better.

So the next time you need milk, if you have access to a Braums, I highly recommend you try it!

Birth Announcement for Audrey Kayann Simmons

Fishing....Faith & Lauren style

I really try to raise little ladies, but sometimes there daddy comes out in them...which I love! Here is what I saw when I stepped out my back door the other day.

(just incase you cannot tell what is going on, they are fishing from the play house into the pool)

We bought them these fishing polls from bass pro, and let me tell you they have gotten plenty of use. The love them. Little miss Faith is really good at casting...she defently gets that from her daddy!

I love these two little girlz so much! They just make my hear smile, especially when I see them doing things like this!

Twinkle Toes

With a house full of little girlz, Shawn is bound for daddy can we put make up on you, Daddy can we do your hair (what little is there)and the most fun, Daddy can we paint your toes....Last night daddy caved, he told the girlz they could do what ever they wanted...i wish i would of gotten pics from last night, but i was nursing Audrey...but this morining i got a quick snap shot of his toes, and had to post it! And don't tell him I told you, but he still has them on right now at work...just covered with socks and shoes...thank heaven! My girlz have a great dad!

Jiggle wiggle

Today was a big day for Miss Faith...

She has her first loose tooth, and let me tell you...she is so excited. She has waited for this day for a long time. All day she has played with that tooth. So much so, that I think she caused two more to come loose as well. 3 teeth in a row. Please somebody, find that magic potion that keeps them little. I cannot believe that my little girl, is going to be in first grade! Oh, they just grow up too fast!

Today is my last day to be twenty! Good buy twenties, hello thirties.

I think Tim McGraw said it best...My next 30 years...that is my theme song for the year!

Happy 30th Birthday To Me~A few days early

Rachael Simmons July 12, 1978

Comes the Dawn
After a while, you learn the subtle difference
between holding a hand, and chaining a soul.
And you learn that love does not mean leaning
and company does not mean security.
And you begin to understand that kisses are not contracts
and presents are not promises.
And you begin to accept your defect
with your head up and your eyes open,
with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child.
And you learn to build your roads on today,
because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans and
futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
So you plant you own garden and decorate your own soul,
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure, you really are strong,
and you really do have worth.
And you learn and learn….with every good-bye , you learn.

I am saying good bye to my twenties…and hello to my thirties. When I turned 29, all the sudden it hit me that thirty was knocking at my door. I really struggled with this. But as the time grew closer and closer, this poem came to my remembrance. I dug through some of my old stuff and pulled it out. I posted it to share with you. Hope you enjoy!

I began to realize that over the last 10 years, my life has changed, and my life has changed me. One could read this as a poem about a break up, but not me. I use to read it like that, but my life has changed me and I see this poem in a different light.

….”you begin to understand that kisses are not contracts and presents are not promises. And you begin to accept your defects with your head up and your eyes open”…being married takes a lot of work! Your wedding band and the kiss at the end of the ceremony is just the beginning. I have learned that being married is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication. And the hardest part of it for me was seeing me for me and realizing I cannot change my husband, I can only change me. And maybe, just maybe…it’s me that needs to change. I have had to take a long hard look in the mirror, and see that that reflection looking back at me, wasn’t really what I wanted it to be…and taking the steps...Mentally and physically to change that.

…..”So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers”… This was a hard one for me. I looked to Shawn for my happiness. So over the past few years, I have had to dig down real deep and see that I had to learn to love me. How could I expect my husband to love me, if I could not even love myself? I had to accept things I did not like, and learn to love me for me…falling in love with yourself is not an easy thing.

Thankfully I did have some one holding my hand through this, but his name is not Shawn, its God. I learned to let God decorate my soul and plant my garden with the things he wanted to see grow in me. And I have to say this year I am more in love with myself than ever before. There are still things I would like to change physically AKA, my weight, but for the first time, I am happy just being me! I have learned to love me the way I am today, and be satisfied with this person! God showed me one day in my heart, that until I really learned to love this person, I could not become who I wanted to be. I was allowing my weight to dictate the value I had on my life, and God showed me that even with the weight, I had value.

So as I approach my thirties, I am working on my weight, but in a new way. I use to want to be thinner for all the wrong reasons. Now God has put my head on straight and now being thinner does not mean happiness. I really do not want to be thin; I just want to be healthy. I want to make sure I am around to enjoy my kids, and grandkids. As well as do the work God has called me to do! God showed me, that even though the weight was unhealthy, he still loved me. He is teaching me how to make good choices and how to take care of this body, after all He is the one who made it, and He knows what this body needs more than any doctor or diet! I am a mommy to 3 precious little girls, and I want to teach them to love their bodies and to be satisfied with who they are on the inside and outside.

So as I embrace my thirties, I do with my head held high!

“And you learn and learn…..with every good-bye, you learn. So as I sit back and look at my journey through my twenties I am thankful for where I am today. I have held my “head up and my eyes open, with the grace of a women.” So as I say good bye to my twenties I leave knowing that I did not end this journey the way I started. I learned that I “really can endure, I really am strong and I really do have worth.”

Happy Birthday to ME

Rockets Over Rhema

Rockets Over Rhema, has become a family tradition for us, I think this is our 4th year going...and you know it's funny, every year we have gone with a different group of people...all our friends move away...oh well the joys of being at RBC! With it being so hot and not alot of shade, we opted to arrive late! Audrey is too young for sunscreen, so we have to stay out of the sun. We did have VIP passes though, thanks to Shawn's mom and Danny Piper, so parking was wonderful! With that said we got their just enough time to let the girlz get their face painted and Mr. Bobby and BB went to look at the old cars...then we went back to the car to set up our chairs and listen to Mark Harris and watch the fireworks. Oh my, what a fantastic fireworks display. The end was amazing..way to go Rhema!

Anyways here are some of our pictures from this year...


Daddy with his girlz


Two of my favorite little people, waiting in line to get face painting


Mommy and daddy


Showing off their faces


This is what Audrey did...most of the time


The girlz with BB and Mr. Bobby


Playing duck duck goose with daddy


Lauren is the duck..duck...duck...goose


Dad taking a rest

BB & Mr. Bobby come to town

My aunt and her boyfriend came to visit us. We had such a great visit. The girls loved having them here. They swam, we went and saw fireworks at Rockets over Rhema (way to go Rhema, what a fantastic show), went to a car show, went to see the new American Girl Movie Kit, and just hung out. Here are some pictures from their visit.


BB feeding Audrey


Burping the baby


Teaching Lauren to swim


look mom, BB's teaching me to swim


BB with those girlz, they sure kept her hoppin!


Mr. Bobby & BB with the girls at Rockets over Rhema


Audrey watching her BB at Rockets over Rhema